Northern_Lights_2016

13 Sunset The typical college night consisted of hanging out with my roommates, binge-watching Netflix, and procrasti- nating homework. Yet, that night was different. Coincidentally, all three of my roommates invited their girlfriends over. Never had I thought I would somehow manage to be the seventh wheel, but there I was. While I tried to put together what was left of my dignity, the doorbell resounded throughout the house. A smile crept upon my lips. I invited her over every single night and occasionally I would be lucky enough to be graced with her presence. In an attempt to not look overly eager, I gradually arose from the couch to open the door while I caught questioning looks from my buddies. I opened the door and my heart simultaneously skipped a beat. She was standing on our rickety old porch, with the fluorescent street lights shining down on her. Her long brown hair was flowing effortlessly in the wind. She immediately smiled at me and began rambling about how she always seemed to get lost on her way over. Her words were lost upon me. Her beauty affected me in a way where I lost all my ability to think and talk. Before I had a chance to respond to her, she quickly invited herself in and brushed past me in the doorway. I was left looking out at the empty street, still in a daze, when I heard my roommates greet her in the living room behind me. Zach yelled, “Yo Natalie, what is up?” Mark jokingly asked, “Why do you bring your backpack anyway? We don’t do homework here!” I shut the door and turned to make my way back inside. Natalie was laughing, as usual, as she struggled to hold all of her books and find a spot around the television. I had always been amazed by her confidence and ability to socialize with anyone and everyone. I am not quite sure that she had even met half of the people there, but she carried herself as if she had known the whole room her entire life. I sat down next to her on my futon, her glasses were already on and her head was glued inside a chemistry book. I glanced at my buddies out of pure amusement. Only Natalie could come to a fraternity house and actually be productive. Our house prided itself on being as unproductive and entertaining as possible, so anyone who actually was able to reverse the status quo was impressive. I grabbed my laptop as I tried to match her productivity, but to no avail. I occasionally looked at the television and continued to talk with my buddies while Natalie was entranced in her homework. After a while, she reached into her backpack on the floor and pulled out a Club Soda. I threw my head back and laughed because Natalie and Club Soda went together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. I could never remember the brand of Club Soda she had but it had a memorable logo of a colorful sunset wrapped around each bottle. This logo looked it was simply a part of the wrapper, but the colorful lines of the sunset formed into a circle creating an outline of a sticker. She saw me staring at the bottle and giggled to herself. Taking the bottle, she ripped the sticker from the wrap- per and stuck it to the back of my laptop. She looked straight into my eyes and said, “May every sunrise bring you hope, and may every sunset bring you peace” and then pressed on the sticker one more time to ensure that the adhesive was fully applied. She then zipped her bag shut, took a sip of the bubbling Club Soda, and was out the door. As soon as the door had slammed shut my buddies immediately shot me questioning looks, smirks even. I just shook my head, closed my laptop, and headed upstairs to my room for the remainder of the night. That night was five years ago. I am still amazed by the impact Natalie can leave, even from a sticker. My mom just brought me a bottle of that same Club Soda to calm my nerves, but she could not have given me anything worse at this moment. This morning, I am getting ready to get married. My fiancée is Nicki, and we have been dating almost two years now. She is a beautiful brunette and she never fails to make laugh. I gaze at myself in the mirror, straightening my tie, and my groomsmen are muttering behind me. I don’t have to ask them to speak up to know what they are saying. I can see the resemblances between Natalie and Nicki. In fact, the similarities between the two is what drew me to her. Yet my best buddies did not find the similarities to be a mere coincidence. I yell, “I know what you’re thinking! You can stop talking about it. All of you.” The groomsmen look back and forth between each other, unsure of whether or not to say anything. Suddenly, my best man steps forward without hesitation. My best man, also my younger brother, takes me by the shoulders and says: “You know man, we are just trying to look out for you. You can’t replace Natalie with Nicki, not like this. You know getting married isn’t going to change anything, it’s not going to change how you feel.” I shake myself free, getting more agitated by the minute. I look my brother straight in the eye and say, “You can’t replace something you’ve never had.” The rest of the day is a blur. Between the ceremony, drinking, greeting guests, drinking, dancing, and drinking, I am exhausted. Nicki is great, but I never really wanted the wedding in the first place. She actually proposed to me! All the glitz and glam is not for me, but here we are at one of the most lucrative venues in the state. The bride always get what she wants. Stacey McDonald